Dr. Conan Shaw Functional Medicine, Certified Clinical Nutritionist

Low blood sugar or "HANGRY", as people often refer to it, is a syndrome where you become shaky, irritable, nervous, angry, grumpy, light headed or pass out if you go too long without eating. All systems of the body are supposed to be self regulatory, meaning that there should be systems in place that balance your sugar levels if you skip a meal. What can cause hypoglycemia? Anyone out there stressed about anything? A common side effect of too much stress for too many months... (PANDEMIC AND ELECTION) is the inability to self regulate blood sugar. Eat more proteins and veggies, cut back on refined carbohydrates, take some time to meditate or relax every day and observe what is stressing you out. Try to take a step back and re-center yourself.

Transient Joint Pain? If it moves from joint to joint in a random pattern it is the number one symptom of Lyme Disease. Not all Lyme tests are created equal. If your doctor only runs the Lyme Titer you should be aware that this test is around 50% accurate. Be sure to ask for the Western Blot Test that shows the different numbered bands for immune reactivity. Also, don't forget that Lyme has friends too. Checking for co-infections is a good idea if your lyme test is negative.

Is sugar consumption connected to the leading causes of death? How about sugar addiction? When I was born In 1972 the average American ate 123 pounds of sugar a year. Now it is an average of 152 pound of sugar a year or about a cup a day of sugar. Worth a deeper dive, here is a link to my blog article on how I overcame sugar addiction by understanding the heath risks involved of regular sugar consumption. https://drcshaw.com/sugars-connection-to-death-and-addicti/

Are Pumpkin Seeds good for you?? Pumpkin seeds are a good source of B vitamins, magnesium, iron and protein. The seeds have high levels of essential fatty acids that help maintain healthy blood vessels and lower unhealthy cholesterol in the blood. Readily available this time of year; Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Scatter pumpkin seeds onto a sheet pan in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Bake for about 7 minutes until light brown and crispy! YUM

Don't forget the Switch Witch! When kids go trick or treating, the fun is not in all of the immune suppressing, over-stimulating candy, the fun is in playing dress up. If Halloween isn't cancelled due to a virus, and your kids get bags of candy, consider telling them about the Switch Witch. If they leave their candy out for her, she comes and switches their bags of goodies for toys, flashlights, fun books, a DVD, a doll or toy cars, stuffed animals etc.... Then get that candy out of your house SO YOU DON't EAT IT!!! You can usually donate candy to the troops somewhere local.